Membership?

Are you interested in joining with us in living out the mission of Jesus in Greater Portland? We would love to work side-by-side with you and welcome you into our family.

Rather than take a series of classes that pull you away from home for several weeks, we have made our material available here, online.

Step One
Pick up a copy of "I Am A Church Member" to read in the lobby. It is a small booklet that you will go through quickly. Reading it will help you know what we believe about church membership. Return it when you are finished so another can use it.

Step Two
If you are new to churches or have never been a member anywhere, listening to the messages from our All In series below will be worthwhile. Even if you have been a member elsewhere you may want to give a listen because our approach to membership is probably different. Each message is approximately 30 minutes. This will help you understand what we believe is biblical membership and our approach.

Our Membership Covenant

We like the metaphor of membership. It’s not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given us in I Corinthians 12: “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it” (I Cor. 12:27).

1) Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an “eye,” an “ear,”, or a “hand.” As a functioning member, I will give. I will serve. I will minister. I will share. I will learn. I will seek to lift up others. I will remember that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (I Cor. 12:26)

2) I will seek to be a source of unity in my church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension.
One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the unity for the sake of the gospel.

3) I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. That is self-serving. I am a member in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconvenience and matters that just aren’t my preference or style.

4) I will pray for my church family and leadership often.

5) I will lead my children to be healthy members of a local church with my words and actions so that they discover the joy of the community of Jesus and desire it for their adult lives wherever they end up. They will grow up seeing my commitment to others in the body in prayer, service, ministry, attendance and support.

6) This membership is a gift. When I received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, I became a part of the body of Christ. I identify with this local body. And now I am humbled and honored to serve and to love others in our church. I pray that I will never take my membership for granted, but see it as a gift and an opportunity to serve others and to be a part of something so much greater than any one person or member.